The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Living Faith Church Worldwide and the Deeper Christian Life Ministry have reacted to an allegation that former President Olusegun Obasanjo allocated oil wells to their leaders during his administration.
The allegation was made by the founder and President of the Ministers’ Prayer Network, Rev. Mosy Madugba, who claimed that Obasanjo allocated oil wells to prominent Nigerian pastors, including the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo; and the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi.
The claim, contained in a sermon circulating on social media, has generated controversy, with some Nigerians questioning the integrity of the religious leaders and others demanding evidence to substantiate the allegations.
In the video, Madugba alleged that some prominent pastors in Lagos benefited from oil wells allocated to them by Obasanjo during his presidency.
He said, “I don’t know whether you know that the big names you have in Lagos have oil wells. Obasanjo gave them oil wells. The head of Winners’ Chapel has an oil well, Adeboye has an oil well, Kumuyi has an oil well. They have universities, they have big hospitals. They have schools, and except Kumuyi, they have private jets.”
However, a senior media aide to Pastor Kumuyi, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Sunday PUNCH, dismissed the claim as ridiculous, insisting that the cleric had no interest in such business ventures.
The official said Kumuyi should not be associated with oil exploration or similar business interests, stressing that the cleric was wholly devoted to preaching the gospel and winning souls.
He said, “Let us be frank, does Pastor Kumuyi look like somebody that will be interested in an oil well? Does he look like someone who would toy with such things? Pastor Kumuyi is devoted to the core; he is devoted to the work of God that he is being called into.
“So, the fact that somebody mentioned somewhere that Obasanjo gave him an oil well is ridiculous; we don’t get involved in those things. Our focus is the gospel, how to win souls for the kingdom of God and prepare for heaven; therefore, this is not the kind of thing that he would get involved in.”
Similarly, the Director of Media at Living Faith Church Worldwide, Patrick Nkamiang, dismissed the allegations, arguing that oil wells were not the personal property of a president to be distributed arbitrarily to individuals.
He questioned the basis of Madugba’s claims, noting that Nigeria’s petroleum resources were governed by laws and regulations.
Nkamiang said, “Oil wells are not that cheap to give away, nor are they the personal property of the President that he can just give to anybody.
“Even if oil wells were that cheap as of the time that he said that they were giving out oil wells, what’s the value of an oil well then? Oil wells do not even belong to Obasanjo, for him to be sharing? They are natural resources that are governed by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You cannot just give them away as you like.”
Nkamiang maintained that Oyedepo had a zero-tolerance policy towards gifts and donations that could not be traced to legitimate personal or internally generated income.
He, however, ruled out the possibility of the church taking legal action against Madugba, saying it would rather leave the matter to God.
Also reacting, an official in the media unit of the RCCG, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the church would not respond to the allegation until Madugba provided evidence to substantiate his claims.
When Sunday PUNCH contacted Madugba’s church for a response, an official identified as Blessing Madugba, said, “We will get back to you.”
Efforts to obtain Obasanjo’s reaction through his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the allegations have generated mixed reactions on social media, with some users expressing concern about their implications for the credibility and independence of religious leaders.
Other users challenged Madugba to provide verifiable details of the alleged oil wells, arguing that such assets could not easily be concealed.
No documentary evidence establishing that Obasanjo allocated oil wells to the three pastors was presented in the circulating video.
(Punch)
